Asia
Winding back the China Solution
The cluster of foreign policy initiatives labelled the 'China Solution' has evolved over the past two years, from a strategy that spoke to the aspirations of a still developing…
North Korea’s ICBM weakens Washington’s hand in Asia
So North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. That is definitely alarming, though a few caveats: the missile is almost certainly not operational with the North…
Trump's Indonesian business dealings: Taking the toll road
This week ABC’s Four Corners ran an exposé of US President Donald Trump’s business dealings in Indonesia. The investigative report featured the taking over of a toll road…
How China views the plight of refugees
With assistance from Zixin Wang, an intern with the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program.
Following World Refugee Day on 20 June, Chinese netizens have been heatedly debating…
Commentary
Australians' views of China: we need to go deeper than 'fear and greed'
Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald.Merriden Varrall
China and Hong Kong: ‘One country above all’
One country is above all. That was the loud and clear message President Xi Jinping delivered to Hong Kong as the city commemorated the 20th anniversary of the handover from the UK…
China’s new warship and the strategic challenge to America
Last Wednesday the People’s Liberation Army-Navy launched the first of its new air warfare ships, designated the Type 055 destroyer. At approximately 10,000 tons displacement and…
Book Review: Graham Allison’s 'Destined for War'
Graham Allison’s new book, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides Trap?, crashes China's rise into the US political mainstream. Unsurprisingly, it took 'a red…
How China’s media framed the Hong Kong handover anniversary
Last weekend marked the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China, with Xi Jinping making his first trip to Hong Kong as President to hail the occasion. On…
The false choice of war or accommodation in the South China Sea
I appreciate Hugh White taking the time to critique my essay in the current edition of Foreign Affairs, which recommends a course correction in US strategy to deter and, if…